Judge releases transcripts from 2006 grand jury investigation into Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida judge released transcripts Monday afternoon from a 2006 grand jury investigation into sex trafficking and rape allegations made against the late millionaire and financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The judge's release of the roughly 150 pages came as a surprise, as he had scheduled a hearing next week to determine when and how to release them. Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill in February allowing publication on Mondays or at any time thereafter, upon order of Circuit Judge Luis Delgado.

“The details of the case will be shocking to honest people,” Delgado wrote in his order. “The testimony gathered by the grand jury involves activities ranging from the unacceptable to the rape – all of the behaviors involved are sexually deviant, disgusting and criminal.”

After the grand jury investigation, Epstein reached a deal with federal prosecutors in South Florida in 2008 that allowed him to escape more serious federal charges and plead guilty to state charges of recruiting a person under 18 years of age for the purposes of prostitution and solicitation of prostitution. He was sentenced to a year and a half in the Palm Beach County jail system, followed by a year of house arrest. He had to register as a sex offender.

This agreement has been widely criticized for its leniency. Epstein was charged in 2018 with federal sex trafficking crimes in New York – where he also owned a home that was the scene of abuse – after the Miami Herald published a series of articles that brought renewed attention to the public about the case, including interviews with some victims who had filed civil suits against him. Epstein was 66 when he killed himself in a New York prison cell in August 2019, according to federal officials.

Delgado, in his order, called Epstein “the most infamous pedophile in American history.”

“For nearly 20 years, the story of how Jeffrey Epstein victimized some of the most vulnerable people in Palm Beach County has sparked much anger and at times diminished public perception of the criminal justice system,” Delgado wrote.

“Epstein is indeed notorious and infamous and is widely reported to have flaunted his wealth while hobnobbing with politicians, billionaires and even British royalty,” he continued. “It is understandable that in light of these reports, the public is very curious about what has been widely reported by news organizations as ‘special treatment’ regarding his prosecution.”

The Associated Press is currently reviewing the transcripts.